Crimson
by Alithiel and Arlyssa
Summary: Kaoru stands on the brink of death, and only the people she loves can save her. Will their thoughts be enough?
1. Default Chapter

~Crimson~  
  
By: Alithiel Daystar  
  
Disclaimer: Hey, all! How R U? I was bored at work one day, and I got a GREAT idea for a Kenshin short fic! 'Tis a bit angsty, but I think it's pretty good anyway. Of course, I don't own any part of Kenshin *sighs irritably*. Tho I wish I did about three times a day.usually at mealtimes. And just so you know, I only have a slight knowledge of the Revenge Arc of the series, so I'm just winging it here, all right? Arigato!  
  
Part 1: Onset  
  
A soft, playful breeze blew through the open-air courtyard of the Kamiya Dojo in Tokyo. The wind carried on it the scent of blooming sakura blossoms and other smells of spring, and birds sang loudly in the trees.  
  
However, not everyone could enjoy it. One of the dojo residents wobbled about the yard, mumbling under her breath.  
  
"Kenshin no baka."  
  
Kamiya Kaoru, assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, puttered around, searching for her wandering samurai boarder. Her long, black hair was mussed, carelessly thrown into a high ponytail, her white hakama and gi were in disarray, and her sapphire eyes were bloodshot. She coughed hard into her hand  
  
Miyojin Yahiko, her one and only student, came round the corner of the bath, looking at Kaoru darkly. "What are you yammering about, busu?"  
  
She had the good grace to scowl at the kid. "If I had my bokken, and if I felt better, I'd beat you all over that spiky head of yours." She rasped out, coughing. "Have you seen Kenshin?"  
  
"He said he was going to the market." A creak from the front gate caused him to turn and wave. "Yo, Sano!"  
  
Sagara Sanosuke waved back, swaggering toward the teacher and her pupil, hands jammed in his pockets. "Morning, Yahiko, jou-chan." A sudden breeze caused his white shirt to flap. The black kanji for 'bad' rippled in the air. He took a closer look at Kaoru, concern in his brown eyes.  
  
"You feelin' ok? You look flushed."  
  
"I'm fine, Sano." She rasped, swaying a little as a wave of dizziness passed over her. "I just need to talk to Kenshin."  
  
She almost fell then, if Sanosuke hadn't caught her. "Hey! You are so not fine. You should be in bed!"  
  
Kaoru gave him a hard shove in the chest. "Get!" She doubled over with a wracking coughing fit. She took a deep breath when it was over, her eyes watering.  
  
"Ano, what's this all about then?"  
  
The group turned to the gate. Himura Kenshin stood just inside, a net bag full of packages slung over his shoulder. The crimson red of his hair shone brightly in the light as he gave his friends his best idiot rurouni smile. He rubbed the X-shaped scar on his cheek absently.  
  
"Good morning Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke, Yahiko.Kaoru-dono? Are you feeling well?" He asked with concern.  
  
Kaoru stomped over to him. "Where WERE you?!?" She rasped out, glaring blearily at the wandering samurai.  
  
"Oro!" Kenshin squeaked, purple eyes going beady. "Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono! Sessha merely went grocery shopping, de gozaru yo."  
  
Kaoru's eyes slid to half-mast. "Well, warn me." She started to sway. ".next time."  
  
With that, she passed out completely. Kenshin was barely able to catch her in time. He barked orders as he slowly dropped to the earth with her tightly in his arms.  
  
"Yahiko! Go get Doctor Gensai or Megumi-dono! Sano, help me get her inside!"  
  
The two men carefully lifted the unconscious form of Kamiya Kaoru and carried her inside the dojo.  
  
/////  
  
Takani Megumi appeared from behind the sliding door to Kaoru's room. The expression in her reddish eyes was solemn as she rinsed her hands in the ready water bowl. She did not meet the eyes of the three waiting for her diagnosis.  
  
"Kaoru has scarlet fever."  
  
There was a gasp from Yahiko. 'That means."  
  
"She could die." Kenshin finished quietly. He was seated against the wooden roof post, sakabatou leaning against his shoulder. His eyes were shut.  
  
Sano smashed his fist into the wooden planking. "Damn!"  
  
Megumi continued. "There is a chance she will pull through, and a pretty good one, considering how strong Kaoru is. I gave her some fever-reducing herbs." She looked over her shoulder at Kaoru. She was safely tucked in her futon, a damp cloth placed on her forehead. She looked so tiny, unnaturally pale under the flush of fever and rash, breathing with a terrible rasping sound. ".but the rest is up to her."  
  
"Can we.see her?" Sano asked in an unnaturally quiet way.  
  
"Maybe." She answered just as quietly. "But I will not leave until she gets better.that I promise."  
  
/////  
  
Light.pure white light surrounded her. Kaoru fluttered her eyes open, feeling strangely weightless. All was featureless whiteness, and she floated within it.  
  
"Am I.dead?" She asked herself absently, remembering her collapse and not really caring either way.  
  
"If you so choose, Kamiya Kaoru." A mellow woman's voice responded. Turning her head, she saw a woman approaching. She had incredibly long, black hair, and lovely dark eyes. She was dressed in a pure white kimono. The mysterious woman smiled at Kaoru.  
  
"If I.choose?"  
  
"Yes.here you are able to choose your fate. Kaoru, you are very ill." The woman sighed. "However, there are two choices available to you. Either you feel your work is done, and choose to pass into the afterlife, or you choose to live, and continue."  
  
A strange feeling of recognition passed through the girl. "To live."  
  
"Of course, you will be able to view how your collapse affects those who care for you.And this is a very rare thing, for most people do not get this chance."  
  
"Sometimes, I feel as if no one cares at all."  
  
The woman smiled. "No?"  
  
"I mean, look at me." She spread her arms out at her sides. "I am a woman, running a dojo on her own! I have only one student who disrespects me every chance he gets, a freeloading mercenary, A crazy kitsune of a doctor who can't stand me, and an idiot rurouni."  
  
She felt a sudden tightening of her heart, or rather, where her heart would be if she were physical, when she mentioned Kenshin. The woman nodded, then waved her hand. Beneath her palm the whiteness rippled, clearing a space where a large, oval mirror appeared, a picture of the dojo shining on its smooth surface.  
  
At Kaoru's utterly confused look, the woman laughed.  
  
'This is the Mirror of Truth. In it you will see and hear everything that transpires while you remain here, and in some cases, even hear the thoughts of the people you care about. Of course, you must have a very strong connection with them."  
  
The mirror zoomed in, showing Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sano on the porch. A strange softness came to the woman's eyes. Recognition dawned.  
  
"You're?!" Kaoru gasped.  
  
"Yes.I'm Tomoe. Kenshin's first wife."  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Part 2: Infection  
  
Yahiko sat beside the futon of Kaoru, staring down at the flushed face of his sensei. Her breath rattled in her throat ominously as she breathed. Lightning cracked outside as rain pounded on the roof with the force of a thousand hammers. Yahiko couldn't help but smile a little. She was so afraid of thunder, it was strange that she didn't sit up screaming her lungs out for someone, ANYONE to help her. He sighed, and to his surprise, moisture gathered in his eyes.  
  
"Busu no baka.don't you dare die on us." He choked. "You haven't taught me all of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu yet! I'm not gonna let you die until you teach me all of it, even if you have to live a thousand years.I can see it.you ugly old crone yelling for five hundred swings."  
  
He felt a strong hand fall on his shoulder. Yahiko looked op to see Kenshin kneeling beside him, concern in his violet eyes. He looked very tired.Kaoru had been unconscious the whole day, and now it was nearly midnight, but none of them had been able to sleep, not while their friend was ill. But Kenshin.Kenshin had taken it the worst.  
  
"Are you all right, Yahiko?" He asked in a whisper.  
  
"Of course!" Yahiko snapped, rubbing his forearm across his eyes. "I just have something in my eye, is all." He watched the samurai smile sadly, not his normal dumb rurouni smile. "Kenshin? Are ~you~ all right?"  
  
The wanderer just shook his head, resting his hand on the hilt of his reverse-bladed sword that lay on the floor near his side. "To be honest, I've never felt more lost in my life." He lowered his head, hiding his eyes from view. "For all my promises to protect Kaoru-dono.Jin- eh.Gohei.Shishio.and Enishi.I defeated them all. But."  
  
His hand tightened on the sword, his voice turning fierce.  
  
"But I was unable to protect her from so small a thing as a sickness.!"  
  
"There was nothing you could have done." Megumi said, entering the room. She sat down on the side opposite Kenshin and Yahiko. "She's been working herself too hard with too little rest. It's tanuki-chan's own fault." Even as she called the girl the familiar nickname, her eyed turned sad when no screaming response came. After a moment of silence, where the three just sat and listened to the thickness of Kaoru's rasping breaths, Kenshin stood.  
  
"Sessha is going for a walk, de gozaru yo."  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru watched what happened on the mirror in silence, feeling horribly self- conscious. After the image faded, she glanced at the woman behind her. She was so lovely.no wonder Kenshin.She shook her head. Better not to think of it.  
  
"So..you're Tomoe." Kaoru stated.  
  
Tomoe smiled. "Yes, I am."  
  
Kaoru hung her head. She should have known that this pretty and kind woman was Kenshin's deceased wife.the gods certainly liked playing cruel tricks on her.  
  
The woman shook her head. "No, don't worry. Thought I was Kenshin's wife long ago, I no longer hold that specific place in his heart."  
  
"But."  
  
She held up her hand to silence the young woman. "Kenshin may feel guilt for my death, but his love has shifted elsewhere." Tomoe looked pointedly at Kaoru, who looked slightly.puzzled? She, even in her spirit form, felt slightly peeved that the girl didn't get the point.  
  
The girl stood in silence for a few moments, considering the statement Tomoe made, but not quite understanding what she meant. "Oh!" Kaoru exclaimed. She had returned her attention to the large mirror, where the surface as rippling again.  
  
/////  
  
Sagara Sanosuke had never felt angrier in his entire life.not since Captain Sagara and the rest of the Sekihoutai had been murdered.  
  
That's to say he was pretty damn pissed.  
  
Sano was climbing a steep hill, hands jammed in his pockets, the rain beating down on him in tune with his troubled thoughts. How could the gods allow a nice kid like Kaoru to get so sick? I can't call her a kid, though, he amended his thought. She's only a year younger than I am.  
  
He finally reached the top of the hill, soaking wet and muddy to the thighs. Sano plopped down on one of the many rain-slicked rocks that were scattered atop it in an attempt to calm himself. Sitting there with the rain falling on him and thunder crashing overhead would probably help him get his thoughts in order. Actually, it was having the opposite effect: making him even more angry. His right hand curled into a fist as his anger built.  
  
What if she died? His thoughts raced. Yahiko would be homeless again.and what about Kamiya Kasshin Ryu? It would die with her. Ayame and Suzume would be grief stricken, and so would Dr. Gensai.  
  
And.What about Kenshin.?  
  
"Uah!"  
  
Sano slammed his fist into the stone beside him, watching as it shattered into dust. Futae no Kiwami.the technique that Anji the monk had taught him. He wiped his fist off on his shirt, glaring at the sky above him angrily.  
  
"HEY! Whichever one of you gods is listening!" He yelled defiantly. "You better not take Kaoru away from us, or I'll come up there and use this Futae no Kiwami on every single one of you!"  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru couldn't help but smile a little as the mirror clouded over once more. "That's just like Sano.yelling at the gods for something that's my fault." Then she shuddered. "Sheesh.I wouldn't want to be whichever god he used that punch on."  
  
"It just goes to show you how much your friends care for you." Tomoe pointed out. "Any one of them would give their life to take your place."  
  
"And I would give my life for any of theirs." Kaoru looked sheepish. ".even Megumi."  
  
At the mention of her name the mirror cleared once again.  
  
/////  
  
"Megumi!" Suzume called sleepily. It was now morning in the physical plane and the rain had ended. A timid sunshine rose over the hills surrounding Tokyo, shining on the fallen sakura blossoms sticking to the wet earth. Megumi smiled tiredly at the little girl just sitting up from her futon.  
  
"Good morning." The lady doctor said, opening one of the medicine drawers. "Where's your grandfather?"  
  
"I'm here." Old Dr. Gensai called, entering the room with a very sleepy Ayame by his side. "How is Kaoru?"  
  
"I don't know.she hasn't regained consciousness since she passed out yesterday morning." She yawned as she bundled up more medicines. "I'm going to go back and keep close eye on her."  
  
"Have you determined if it's contagious?"  
  
Megumi shook her head. Her normally perfect black hair was in disarray, and her dark eyes had deep circles beneath them. "It's not contagious.she probably wore herself out and that's what caused her illness."  
  
"Just like you're doing, I might add." Gensai pointed out. "When you get back to the dojo, I want you to go to sleep. All of you; I'm sure Sano, Kenshin, and Yahiko have not gotten any sleep either."  
  
"But." Megumi began to protest. The doctor shoved the bundle of medicine into her arms.  
  
"Doctor's orders!"  
  
/////  
  
"Megumi." Kaoru murmured from the spirit world, surprised that the one woman who seemed to hate her would be so concerned. She focused on the mirror, sapphire eyes shining with tears.  
  
Tomoe took this opportunity to study the girl that had finally changed the Battosai. She wasn't very tall, but then again neither was Kenshin. On the spirit world, humans were shown in the clothing that best described their soul. Kamiya Kaoru wore a white hakama and gi, displaying her brave and strong soul. However, a sky blue ribbon edged with gold and red was tied in her black hair, showing her loyalty, kindness, love and devotion. Tomoe smiled. This girl was special indeed.  
  
Kaoru turned to look at the woman who was once the Hitokiri's wife. "So.where is Kenshin?"  
  
The mirror swirled and cleared once more.  
  
/////  
  
Oooohhh, cool, ne? No, I'm NOT gonna kill Kaoru, so don't ask. Why would I kill my own character? Anyway, read and review, please! And yes, I'm pretty sure about the scarlet fever thing, considering I've had it myself at least three times. It can be caused by lack of rest, but most people only get strep. Scarlet fever sux.  
  
Alithiel Daystar 


	2. Crimson Part 3

~Crimson~  
  
By: Alithiel Daystar  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Kenshin, that I do not. I only own the plot, that I do. Sessha hopes you like the story, that she does. *dodges flying tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, cans of SPAM, and shopping carts* HEY!!! BUZZ OFF!!! Sheesh.never plug a fic in front of a grocery store.  
  
I would like to sincerely thank Little Chi, Lady Subaru, D.J., miko demon hunter, Hanna-chan, Conscience Fairy, animecartoons, and Arlyssa (O.ox) for reviewing this fic. I didn't think I would get so many at once! Thank you all for being so kind to Sessha. *Looks googly-eyed at ambereyes/yosei* Maa, maa.both of you, PLEASE calm down.! Sessha is very sorry she's taking so long, there's no need for violence! *Hides behind a wall*  
  
Alithiel  
  
Part 3: Struggle  
  
To Kaoru's surprise, the scene shifted to a much different one than she thought.  
  
"The.Aoiya?" She whispered, puzzled as to why it would take her there. Then she gave herself a mental smack. Of course.she had wondered if Misao would laugh at her for her foolishness.  
  
/////  
  
Makimachi Misao ran out of the Aoiya's font door, dashing through the streets of Kyoto toward the shrine on the hill. Her long black braid whipped around behind her, nearly taking out four people as she ran past them.  
  
"Gomen!" She hollered at them, sending all four of them down anyway with the pure decibels of her voice. The breath whistled out of her lungs as she ran/climbed the long flight of stairs leading to the shrine.  
  
"Damn.those.priests.why the.hell do they.need so many..FRIGGIN STAIRS?!" She panted as she lurched over the top step. She glanced around the deserted, tree-dotted yard, trying to catch her breath, looking for a moment toward the city before she made her way to the shrine proper.  
  
"Aoshi-sama?" She called quietly as she entered, finally spying a shadowed figure in a white robe meditating. His voice floated through the dim shrine just as she was about to pounce on him.  
  
"Misao, I am busy." Shinomori Aoshi returned his attention to his meditations. Misao plopped down beside him, staring at him insistently with emerald eyes. "Still looking for enlightenment, Aoshi-sama?"  
  
"No man can achieve enlightenment without total immersion." The Okashira of the Oniwabanshu gumi declared piously with a glance at her. "What is it you want? Usually you prattle to no end, yet you are silent."  
  
"This will sound silly.but I'm worried about Kaoru."  
  
Aoshi arched a single dark brow, an abnormal expression of curiosity in his cold blue eyes. "Why are you so concerned for Himura Battousai's woman?"  
  
Misao continued. "I have this feeling she's in trouble.but she shouldn't be, right?! I mean, she has Himura and the others, right?"  
  
Aoshi couldn't help but chuckle as he settled himself into is meditative pose once more. "Come, Misao. Join me in my meditations. Maybe you will receive your answer?"  
  
Misao thought a moment before sighing. "Maybe."  
  
"The gods will provide." Aoshi declared as she settled in.  
  
"I hope so."  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru shook her head as the mirror clouded once more. " Amazing.Misao was quiet for more than a second." Thoughtfully she added, "I am surprised that they are concerned as well."  
  
Tomoe merely smiled at the younger woman. "Even though they are not near, their thoughts still count you. You are important to them as well.and you should not allow yourself to slip away."  
  
"Slip away." Kaoru chuckled. "I guess that would be too easy." Tears began to slide from her eyes as her emotions finally broke free. "What good am I?? I'm a woman with no use whatsoever! I can't cook at all, I'm a horrible housekeeper, I yell and throw things.I'm not quiet and demure like all the other women." Her eyes fell. "I'm useless.everyone would be happier if I just."  
  
"No!" Tomoe snapped, glaring darkly at Kaoru, who snapped her head up in surprise at the change in tone. "You stop that right now! Don't you see how much your friends care for you? They love you!"  
  
Turning her eyes away, the younger woman sighed. "Maybe.but.the one I." Though she left her sentence unfinished, her thoughts rang clearly in the air.  
  
The one I want to love me doesn't.  
  
The mirror swirled and cleared for the last time.  
  
/////  
  
Kenshin wandered along the riverside in the sunlight. He had been walking, simply wandering around the city that was now his home, since he'd left the dojo last night, and now it was about noon. The citizens of Tokyo simply walked past him. They'd not only gotten used to him carrying his sakabatou around, but had also noticed his disheveled appearance, taking it as a signal not to bother him. Unless, of course, they wanted a Ryou Sou Sen to the head.  
  
Kenshin preferred it this way. It allowed him to be alone with his pain.  
  
Megumi-dono had said that her sickness, her scarlet fever, was caused by stress. He understood that, with taking care of the dojo, teaching Yahiko, babysitting Ayame and Suzume (and Sano), and fielding Megumi's quips, of course she'd run herself into the ground! And himself, the stupid Hitokiri Battousai turned rurouni that did the laundry and always ended up leaving for some righteous battle and making her life worse.  
  
Kaoru.she filled his mind at every moment. The instant she approached him on the street, an angry Kamiya Kasshin Ryu assistant master looking for the Hitokiri Battousai, she had changed his life. She had been the only one able to keep him from killing.  
  
Yukishiro Tomoe, his first wife.she had been able to pull him from his rage.but Kaoru had been able to prevent it completely. Not at first.but as time went by, she did.  
  
He stooped walking, surprised to find himself in the same place where Jin- eh Udou had taken her away.  
  
He sat on the rain-slick grass of the riverbank; violet eyes unfathomable as he watched the flowing water sparkle in the sun.  
  
Kaoru had been able to break Jin-eh's paralyzing spell out of concern for him.he found himself remembering.  
  
Kaoru giving him her favorite ribbon before Jin-eh took her, and then chasing him when he got blood on it.the look in her eyes when he was taken by Shura and the pirates.The sadness when he embraced her farewell before leaving for Kyoto.The joy of seeing her again.the feel of her hand in his as they sat on he roof of the Aoiya, before everyone interrupted.  
  
He chuckled in spite of himself. Things might have been interesting if they hadn't been interrupted.  
  
The darker, more evil memories invaded, mainly the vision of her, dead with a x-shaped cut in her smooth cheek, courtesy of Tomoe's younger brother Enishi, and the despair of the Rakuninmura before Tsubame had journeyed there to tell him she was alive.  
  
Kenshin felt the wetness of a tear slide down his scarred cheek. He knew he was crying. He was unworthy to be part of her life, a stupid samurai with a past soaked with blood. The blood of men, Tomoe's blood.even so.  
  
If she died.  
  
He stood from the riverbank, lifting his face to the sky, mud-splattered and disheveled. The warm sunlight shone on his red hair as he fixed hopeless violet eyes on the thin clouds above.  
  
"Gods.whichever ones may be listening, " He began, "I know that this stupid rurouni has done nothing for you these long years.so, Sessha deserves nothing. But.I beg of you! If you hold any kindness in your hearts, please, PLEASE save Kamiya Kaoru!"  
  
His voice grew louder, more strident.  
  
"She has touched so many lives.she saved a samurai's son.she protected an inn full of people, she even put up with Sanosuke and Megumi-dono.which is no small feat in itself."  
  
He lowered his head, looking at his sandaled feet, his voice still fierce with old pain.  
  
"But, most important of all.she kept me from breaking my vow and taking life again. If not for her, I would be even more damned than I already am."  
  
Kenshin's fists clenched by his sides. A single tear fell, shining in the warm air before splattering on top of his foot.  
  
His voice reduced to a whisper, he continued. "So, please.grant me this one wish.do not take Kamiya Kaoru from us.do not take her from me."  
  
His knees wobbled. His next thought rang loudly in his mind, although he did not speak it.  
  
-Don't take Kaoru from me.because.I love her.-  
  
Himura Kenshin, master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, the Hitokiri Battousai and slayer of many, fell to his knees in the mud of the riverbank, sobbing under the noon sun over an assistant Kamiya Kasshin master. After a moment this way, he felt a familiar presence brush across his ki, the feeling making him leap to his feet and take off running for the Kamiya Dojo.  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru removed her hand from the mirror surface, luminous tears streaming from her astonished eyes.  
  
"I.never thought."  
  
Tomoe laid her hand on Kaoru's spiritual shoulder. "Do you see now?"  
  
The girl looked up suddenly. "That was the whole point of this, wasn't it?"  
  
"In a way, yes." Tomoe glanced toward the mirror. "By allowing you to see how the people around you felt, it restored your will. You were at the end of your rope.as it was, you'd nearly given up, am I right?"  
  
Kaoru hung her head. "Yes.I.felt as if I had failed in everything. Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, all the things my father taught me. I felt as if it all was for nothing."  
  
"But that's not the only thing, was it?" The older woman asked slyly.  
  
"No.I felt as if at any moment, Kenshin would leave again."  
  
"He won't leave again. He has you now. That's enough reason not to go."  
  
Kaoru smiled, wiping her tears away. "Yes! And it's time he and I cleared this matter up, am I right, Tomoe-san?"  
  
"Wrong!"  
  
The two women turned to the strange voice. A black door had opened into the white space, and standing beside it was a tall woman. Her hair was black as night and poker-straight, and her eyes glowed crimson from beneath her bangs. Her black robes swirled as she approached them, grinning evilly.  
  
"You.!" Tomoe muttered.  
  
"That's right, chickadee." The figure laughed. "It has been so long, Yukishiro Tomoe.I believe, it was the day the Hitokiri Battousai killed you?"  
  
"Who are you?" Kaoru demanded. She felt strangely cold as she watched the dark woman.  
  
"Oh, I have many names in many cultures." She flipped her long hair carelessly. ".But most people call me Shinimegami."  
  
"Sh.Shinimegami.the Goddess of Death!" Kaoru shivered.  
  
"Call me Shini, my dear." The death Goddess laughed coldly. "Its time you came with me, you know. That's why I'm here."  
  
"No!" Tomoe declared. "You can't have her."  
  
"Really now?" Shinimegami placed her hands on her robed hips, looking benignly at the elder woman. "I just don't see how you can stop me."  
  
"I will stop you." Kaoru said, stepping forward with resolve in her blue eyes. Tomoe looked at the snippet of a girl with no small amount of surprise, happy that she finally saw what she needed to see. The girl glared Death in the eye, fist clenched by her side.  
  
"I'll fight you if I have to." Kaoru stated in a deadly quiet voice. Shinimegami merely shrugged. "I figured someone like you would try." The death goddess said quietly. "But let me warn you that I'm undefeated." With that she threw her cloak aside.  
  
A familiar face stared back at her.  
  
Kaoru gasped. She was facing.herself?!  
  
/////  
  
Like you all couldn't see this coming, ne? With work, I haven't exactly been able to write much, and not to mention neglecting my other fics.the next part is the last, and it has a song in it. Read and review, if you will! Thanx! 


	3. Crimson Part 4 and 5

~Crimson~  
  
By: Alithiel Daystar  
  
Disclaimer: Sorry this has taken so very long to complete.but between my job and life in general, I've been too distracted to finish.  
  
This is it folks. The final part of the story that just won't leave me alone! I would like to thank ~all~ who read from the bottom of my heart, including Soul Flyer, The Masked Instigator, Melfina-Pan, Y sunfire, miko demon hunter, ayana, D.J., Moonwind (Sorry about the punctuation.my comp's crap. I'll do better, I promise!), mvdiva, Don't know who I am (are you having an identity crisis?), Mysterious Reviewer, Papaya!, Rei, and ambereyes/yosei (you can hide under my couch if ya want, yosei!). Thank you all so much for being so kind to Sessha and not sending me flames too hot to toast marshmallows.even if half of you were threatening me to hurry up and finish.  
  
For so long, I've judged a good story by whether or not I thought it was still good when I read it in the morning. This one kept eluding me, and I kept finding things wrong with it when I reread it the next day. However, your kindness in reviewing has made me feel better about this story and about myself as a fledgling author. I never expected so many of you to review! Thank you all!  
  
I'm very sorry for the cliffhangers, but don't worry. This is the end, so enjoy and review! I hope everyone has loved reading this fic as much as I've loved writing it!  
  
This one's for you all! ^.~x  
  
With Love, Alithiel  
  
Part 4: Antibody  
  
Kenshin burst through the dojo's sliding doors, barely able to kick off his sandals before dashing down the hall to Kaoru's room. He slid the door open. Megumi, Yahiko, and Sanosuke were already inside, along with Dr. Gensai, and they all looked at Kenshin a little confused. The two doctors were closest to Kaoru's futon, where she lay with her blankets in disarray, shaking and sweating, her breathing harsh in the air.  
  
"What's happening?" Kenshin demanded, his voice begging no argument. Yet, somehow in his heart he knew EXACTLY what as going on.  
  
"I.I don't know." Dr. Gensai replied in a wondering tone. "Only a moment ago she began to tremble like this, almost as if."  
  
"As if she was fighting something of with her entire being." Megumi finished, looking with uncharacteristic concern to the tiny girl. Kenshin moved to kneel beside the futon, gazing down into the face of the one person he needed most in the world. His hand twitched: he wanted to brush the sweat-soaked bangs away from her forehead, to rest his hand against her flushed cheek for reassurance. He clenched his fist. Better for all that he kept his feelings to himself and away from everyone.especially Kaoru. He was too stained with blood to touch something so pure. Kenshin sighed.  
  
-Fight, Kaoru!-  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru gazed at her dark double across from her in shock as Shinimegami laughed coldly, her black hakama and gi like slices of night. She cocked her head to the side with a swish of her ponytail  
  
"What's wrong, KAORU?" She asked mockingly.  
  
"What.what ARE you?" Kaoru stumbled, her mind strangely numb, cold seeping into her bones. Tomoe took a decisive step forward, stopping when she encountered resistance. The thickness of the air rendered her immobile, helpless.only able to watch as Kamiya Kaoru faced Death.  
  
"Who am I? I am You!" Death said. "I am your anger, your hatred.and your fear!"  
  
Fear.an image of Kenshin leaving her for good pierced her mind. Kaoru fell screaming to her knees, clutching her head as she tried to hold it together, before this excruciating pain tore her apart. Death placed her hands on her hips, the ice of her stare only adding to her pain. Kaoru screamed in agony, the sound wrenching tears from Tomoe's eyes and a snort from Death.  
  
"This bores me."  
  
Death clapped her hands. Instantly, darkness erupted from the doorway behind her, swirling through the white before devouring it utterly. Able to move once more, Tomoe ran to Kaoru. The girl looked up, her eyes flowing with tears as the older woman knelt by her side. They watched the white room vanish as if it never was, only to be replaced by a thick, viscous darkness. Shinimegami gazed at them both as she drew something black from the sash of her hakama. Like a living shadow the object flashed: a bladed katana, blacker than night. Death grinned mockingly. "Come, let's fight, little girl!"  
  
Tomoe helped Kaoru to stand, taking a moment to study the two. So alike, yet so different.Death like a piece of live darkness, and Kaoru like the embodiment of light.  
  
"Kaoru." She said urgently, giving the younger girl a good shake. "Don't do this! You'll die"  
  
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's first wife with a smile. Her sapphire eyes were still red and wet from her pained tears, but they shone with resolution. "But, I have to. For the people I care for, as well as myself."  
  
"Seeing them all, so worried for me, made me realize that I am worth something to them. And.I can't have them crying if I die, right?"  
  
Such innocence.such determination! Tomoe took a step back, dark eyes downcast. "Then.I can't stop you." Tilting her head to the side, she nodded, as if she was listening to another voice. She fixed her dark eyes on Kaoru. "But, I can help." She held her hand out before her, and in a moment a tiny, brilliant light floated from her hand to land in Kaoru's. A bright flash and she held in her hand a white bokken that shone with its own light. Bright multicolor cord rapped around the hilt of the wooden sword as she looked curiously at it. Death began to laugh again.  
  
"A WOODEN sword?! It might have served her better to give her a gattling gun, Tomoe, though not much!" She swung her sword, the sound as it cut through the air sounding very much like a pained scream as she approached the Kamiya Kasshin assistant master. Death just stood a moment, then faster than lightning she flicked her sword out, slicing Kaoru's cheek!  
  
Crying out in unexpected pain, Kaoru instantly felt something wet as she pressed her hand against her broken skin. She pulled her hand away, gasping as she saw the crimson blood that covered it and trickled down her wrist. "How." Kaoru half stammered, the cut making speech painful.  
  
"Oh, I can't BELIEVE you haven't figured it out!" Shinimegami ground out angrily, stamping her foot like a child. "You're in the ONE place that the spirit can be made physical, to feel pain."  
  
The meaning of the words dawned on Kaoru even as Shini gave the answer. Tomoe clenched her fist in anger. "You're in Hell, Kaoru! And here you will remain if you lose." Shini raised he sword, cold eyes glinting red. "Which, of course, you will! Let's go, little girl."  
  
Turning to face herself, blood dripping from her cheek and bokken held at ready, Kaoru smiled in response. The electric blue of her eyes flashing like summer lightning at her opponent. "Yes, let's."  
  
/////  
  
"What the hell.?" Sano exclaimed, looking at Kaoru and pointing. Suddenly, like a sudden flash of red, a thin, deep cut appeared on her right cheek, a runnel of blood running across her fair skin. Kenshin merely nodded, concern and anger in his eyes as he watched the cut. Something snapped in him, and though no one saw, his eyes flashed amber for a moment.  
  
"Megumi-dono is right, she is fighting something, and not just a sickness. And.I think I have a good idea what." He said in a quiet voice thick with pain and fury.  
  
"What?!" Yahiko demanded as Megumi bent to wipe off the blood. "What could the hag be fighting? What could she be fighting that would cut her when she's not MOVING!?"  
  
"Well, that's easy, Yahiko." Kenshin replied, giving a very pale version of his old rurouni smile. "Kaoru-dono's fighting Death."  
  
/////  
  
~There's another world inside of me that you may never see. There's secrets in this life that I can't hide.~  
  
Kaoru and Death circled one another, focused completely on what was at hand.  
  
Somewhere in this darkness there's a light that I can't find. Maybe it's too far away, or maybe I'm just blind.  
  
Maybe I'm just blind.~  
  
Death raised her blade. "Die, girl!!"  
  
"You wish!!"  
  
The black blade crashed into Kaoru's bokken. Instantly a shivering wave of sound ripped through the blackness. The battle had begun.  
  
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~  
  
Seeing an opening, Kaoru cracked her bokken against her opponent's elbow. Death shrieked in rage and pain as she brought her blade whistling upwards, slicing deeply into Kaoru's sword arm.  
  
/////  
  
"Damn!" Sano ground out as the arm wound soaked blood into Kaoru's sleeping yukata. "Don't you die on us!"  
  
/////  
  
~When your education x-ray could not see under my skin. I won't tell you a damn thing that I could not tell my friends.~  
  
Rolling away from one of Death's attacks, she felt a strange pulsing energy tingle across her skin. A quick glance showed a strange shimmer coming from the red string on her bokken hilt. Instantly, she felt stronger.  
  
~Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I' alone. Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone.~  
  
/////  
  
"Kaoru!" Megumi ground out as she bandaged the wound on her arm.  
  
/////  
  
Another pulse, another shimmering string, this time from the green one. Kaoru's weariness slipped away as she stood. With a loud cry, she renewed her assault.  
  
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~  
  
Shinimegami stumbled back, then pressed forward with her blade. A rapid slash, and a scream from Kaoru meant she hit her target.  
  
/////  
  
Yahiko felt tears gather in his eyes as he saw blood soak the front of her yukata. A long cut appeared across Kaoru's chest, deep and angry looking. Yahiko began to cry.  
  
/////  
  
Laying in a daze, Kaoru felt another pulse of energy travel up her wounded arm, and saw a bright yellow flash out of the corner of her eye. The energy flowed through her once again, giving her the strength to stand once more. Pain flowing through her, she took a minute to look at her sword once again, at the strange, colorful light that shone around the hilt. Then it struck her.  
  
////  
  
Finally giving in to his initial compulsion, Kenshin waved the others away from the futon as he scooted closer. The look in his eyes brooked no argument. The others moved to the other end of the room as he leaned close to her ear, placing one hand on either side of her head. Something hard bumped his knuckle. Beside Kaoru's pillow was a pink seashell strung on a purple string.  
  
"This." It was the seashell he had given her, the first time he called her Kaoru without the honorific 'dono'. Stinging tears filled his eyes as he pressed his cheek to hers.  
  
"Kaoru, listen to me." Kenshin whispered, his voice a mere thread of sound. "You can't let yourself die, that you cannot. Please, Kaoru, hear me. There is so much that you and I need to talk about."  
  
/////  
  
"This is." Kaoru murmured, as the violet cord ignited into luminous flame. Where before she had merely felt the energy, this tie she saw it, a powerful radiance that flowed over her body. Seconds later, a strand of light blue and a strand of dark gray ignited, bringing her the voices of Miaso and Aoshi praying for her wellbeing. The violet light grew more intense. The red, green, and yellow strings shone, bringing the voices of Sanosuke, Megumi, and Yahiko to her. But brighter than all was the purple string, and more beautiful and melodious that the other voices was Kenshin's.  
  
"Kenshin.everyone."  
  
~So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~  
  
"That's right!" Tomoe said. "They all love you. Their power is your power!"  
  
Death glared at Kaoru. "Enough!!" She shrieked, bringing her blade up once more. She moved forward. "It is time for you to die!"  
  
"Yes.it is enough." Kaoru turned to face Shinimegami for the last time, bringing her bokken up. The last string, bright blue, exploded into light, merging with the other colors. Her power.  
  
~Love me when I'm gone.~  
  
/////  
  
The group watched in shock as Kaoru's body began to glow faintly blue. The pace of her breathing increased, she ceased trembling.  
  
Taking up the small pink shell, Kenshin pressed it into her hand.  
  
/////  
  
Death bore down on Kaoru, blade set for the killing blow. The girl merely stood in the traditional fighting stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, waiting, as the power of her friends and he on power coursed through her veins.  
  
Ten feet, eight, death seemed to come in slow motion.  
  
~Love me when I'm gone.~  
  
Kaoru set herself, the colored light waxing in brightness.  
  
Death was upon her.  
  
"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu! *Shichiburuu Ken!"  
  
Seven swift strikes, blue flashes, and Death flew backwards through the air, a thin shriek rending the blackness. There was a crash, then nothing. Immediately the darkness vanished, leaving the white room, Kaoru, Tomoe, and a knocked- out Shinimegami crumpled in front of the shattered Mirror of Truth.  
  
/////  
  
The light flickered out. Kaoru remained asleep, her breathing deep and slow, thought still rough, her smooth skin dotted with beads of sweat.  
  
"Megumi-dono!" But Megumi and Doctor Gensai were already moving, getting water and examining her.  
  
"Her.fever's broken!" Gensai said happily.  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru winced in pain, clutching her wounded chest. Something hard scraped her skin: it was her shell, the one Kenshin had given her a while ago, the first time he called her by name. A soft smile crossed her face, and she looked at the bokken. The lights had gone out.  
  
"That represents your bond with your friends, Kaoru." Tomoe said, sounding strangely distant. "Sanosuke, Megumi, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao, and Kenshin all love you very much. Their power, and yours, was what you needed to beat Death. There is nothing more valuable that the love of friends, and that you must never forget. And now," Tomoe laughed, hugging the smaller girl, "It is time for you to go back."  
  
"What.about her?" Kaoru asked, pointing to the prone form crumpled on the ground.  
  
"I think she'll be quite embarrassed when she wakes up."  
  
The area was growing blurry, and with a final wave, Tomoe vanished.  
  
/////  
  
Kaoru's eyes fluttered open, and the first image she saw was her circle of friends staring anxiously down at her.  
  
"Give me a little space." She rasped out with a weak smile. Sano and Yahiko whooped and began dancing around the room with Megumi scowling at them. Kenshin was just smiling stupidly.  
  
"OUT!!! NO MORE NOISE!!!" Megumi shrieked, shoving them, and Dr. Gensai, out of the room. Kaoru tried to laugh, but only succeeded in triggering a coughing fit.  
  
"Don't push yourself." Kenshin said, relief apparent in his eyes as he brushed the sweaty bangs away from her forehead.  
  
"Ken.shin." Kaoru murmured. Kenshin just smiled as he dangled something in front of her unfocused eyes.  
  
"My shell."  
  
"Yes." He lifted her head slightly, just enough to slip the string over her head. As he settled the string around her neck, he gave her a light, brushing kiss on the forehead. Kaoru shivered.  
  
"Now rest." Kenshin said good-naturedly as he helped settle her back into her pillow. Standing, the turned toward where the doctors waited by the door. "But don't worry, Kaoru.I'll be back soon. And then." He smiled his old rurouni smile, "You can tell me what you were fighting, ne?"  
  
Kaoru sighed with happiness, her eyes sliding shut as he walked out of the room.  
  
/////  
  
Another freak spring rainshower struck Tokyo that night, lashing against the sides of the dojo as Kenshin made his way down the hall. He was tired. Yahiko and Sano were asleep, and Megumi and the doctor had gone home after examining Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru.It had felt so good to be so close to her for that short time. Giving into the urge to smile, he slid the door to her room open.  
  
The sight he saw rent his heart. Kaoru was curled beneath her blankets, shivering. Making his way to the futon, Kenshin noticed that she was covered with all her blankets. A touch of her chilled skin confirmed that she was gripped with the after-fever chills. Kenshin was at a loss. What should he do? She was so cold.should he get Megumi? No.she needed her rest too.  
  
It was the only thing he could think of, and though she may kill him in the morning.Kenshin shifted his body to the other side of her futon. Lifting the layers of blankets, he moved into her bed behind her, throwing his arms around her stomach and pulling her against his body in an attempt to warm her. The silk of her midnight hair tickled his nose, surrounding him in a cloud of jasmine scent. Kaoru sighed, curling her small hands around his larger ones and snuggling her head into his shoulder.  
  
"Ken.shin." She mumbled in her sleep.  
  
"Shhh, Kaoru.I'm here." He whispered in her ear as he caressed her bandaged cheek. Drowsiness stole over him. "I'm here, and I'm never leaving again."  
  
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Part 5: Recovery  
  
Weeks passed, and the first week of summer approached, bringing its heat and humidity, and replacing the sakura blossoms with summer flowers. Kaoru breathed deeply of the warm air as she walked with her friends down the river road one evening.  
  
It was good to be alive.  
  
She was recovered, fully, though the weeks after her illness were very trying. The weakness and itchy rash had finally passed, though Megumi had warned her not to exert herself or she'd personally kill her patient.  
  
Kaoru thanked her luck every day, and thanked Tomoe as well. She remembered clearly the day after she awoke, waking in her rurouni's arms. And to add to the strange events, the white bokken was in the dojo! It had taken a lot of explaining, on both sides, to clear that one.  
  
Yahiko and Sano were in awe. She fought Death?! Nah. She had told everything about her battle, even about meeting Tomoe, except. She turned her eyes to the redhead samurai walking before her.  
  
Except about the mirror and everything she heard. His attitude, though concerned, had not changed. Even though his confession she had seen, his actions had remained the same. Even the Kaoru-dono.  
  
A bright sparkle caught her attention. She could hear Megumi and Sano laughing at Yahiko ahead in the twilight gloom. She paused beside the river.  
  
Fireflies.fireflies were everywhere! They danced around her like living fairy sparkles, making her feel like dancing as well for the sheer joy of it. She spun, laughing aloud.  
  
"Beautiful." A voice said. Kenshin.  
  
She spun quickly, breathless. "Yes, they are."  
  
The rurouni shook his head. "I wasn't talking about the bugs." He said as he moved toward her. Kaoru felt a hot blush steal up her cheeks, suddenly thankful of the darkness falling. Kenshin looked around as if he saw the place for the first time. "This is where we said goodbye, before I left for Kyoto."  
  
"Yes." Kaoru looked at her feet. "I.can't help but fear you'll leave me ag."  
  
She never got to finish her sentence, because she was gripped in Kenshin's tight embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder, his breathing harsh against her skin.  
  
"Don't, Kaoru."  
  
Kaoru smiled. "I don't believe.I've ever heard you call me just Kaoru for a while."  
  
"Well." She felt his smile against her neck. "I have a new one."  
  
"Kenshin?" She asked in wonder as he pulled away from her, cupping her face in his callused hands. His amethyst eyes were inches from hers, and shone with such emotion.  
  
"Kenshin??" She blinked.  
  
"Aishiteru, koishii."  
  
The sudden sharp sting of tears filled her eyes. "Ken.shin.aishiteru."  
  
Gently Kenshin lowered his head. His lips brushed against hers once before he lingered. He kissed her, as deeply as he dared, before her soft sigh caused him to pull away.  
  
"Koishii?"  
  
"I guess.this means you're not leaving?"  
  
"No." Kenshin smiled as he moved to kiss her again. "Never again."  
  
They kissed, and the fireflies danced, and all was well.  
  
THE END  
  
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Ah, finally!!! ALL DONE! My brainchild is fini! *sniff* Wasn't that cute? The song I used is 'When I'm Gone' by Three Doors Down. Cool song!  
  
I hope you like this story. Review, even if it IS the last part!!!!  
  
LOVE, Alithiel  
  
*Shichiburuu Ken: I made it up! I figured 'shichi' meant 'seven', 'buruu' meant 'blue', and 'ken' means 'blade or sword'. So, it means 'Seven Blue Sword'! Cool, ne? 


End file.
